Last Rose Of Summer
by Mad Cider
Summary: A token of my unyielding love, so when the winter's mantle stills the earth and all around the scene is dead and cold, this Rose reminds you of a time when all was warm and living.


_"__Darling, what you don't know can't hurt you."_

I used to laugh at that statement whenever my mother would say it to me. Now that I'm grown up, I realize that it is not a laughing matter. It's still a lie, but it's not something you laugh at. No, it's dead serious. What you don't know can hurt you all the more simply because you don't know what it is.

My poor girls. They're hurting because of me. They don't know where I am. They can never know, though. That is the best I can wish for them, that they may never find out what happened. Getting my wish is not in my control. I had one wish, and I used it on something... trivial, I guess. I don't even remember. It seemed so important at the time. If by chance they find out, I hope they never connect it to me.

My name is Summer Rose, and today I discovered my destiny. As I sit staring at the infernal gem in my hands, I can't help but watch as it's bright white glow is slowly clouded over by a sickly blackish haze. This gem that contains my soul and is the source of my aura. When it goes completely black, as I found out not long ago, I will turn into a Witch. I don't want to be a Witch.

We held on for so long, me and my best friend. We were Magical Girls for almost ten years. We made the contract together. By the time I found out what we were to become, it was already too late. I had fallen for a boy, a close friend to both of us. In spite of my incessant fawning, she apparently never saw this. By the time I found out that she held the same feelings for him, they were already getting married. I couldn't tell her.

A year or two later, I finally managed to tell her how I felt, and how her actions made me feel. I guess... she couldn't stand to have hurt me so badly. I killed her. Twice, actually. The first time was not what I had intended. It was when I told her, and that drove her into depression. That was when I found out what happens to Magical Girls who are overburdened by despair. The second time was when I was forced to destroy the Witch that my best friend had become.

She left behind a sorrowful husband and a little girl. I still loved him, and the girl needed someone to protect her. She needed a mother. So I took my best friend's place in the family. Now I have my own little girl.

But the guilt never died down. In fact, as I continued to go on missions and battled Grimm and Witches alike, the grief in my soul continued to grow. She had always been right there beside me in battle, and now there was an emptiness. This continued until the point where I am now. By all rights, I should be happy. I have two bright and cheery beautiful little girls, and though Yang isn't really mine, I cherish them both more than anything. Yet here I am.

It's full black now. It will start any time now.

...

Heh heh heh...

Ha ha ha...

Ah ha ha...

Ha heh heh heh...

Ah ha ha ha ha!

AH HA HA HA HA!

EH HEH HEH HAH HA HA HA!

...AAAAAUUURRGHHH!

* * *

><p>For the past three years I've been fighting these Witches. I made my contract when I was twelve, and I had strangely good foresight for a kid that age. My wish wasn't something like you'd expect. I didn't wish for cookies, or awesome weapons, or anything like that. I could have, but I knew what I really wanted. I knew what I wanted, and I knew that I wasn't ready for it yet. So when I made my wish, I made sure to specify that I wanted it to happen in exactly three years.<p>

I can't say I'm ready for it now, but at least I'm far more ready than I was when I was twelve. My wish was that, exactly three years after making the wish, I would meet my mother. I was told that it would definitely happen, and I did the calculations. Today is the day.

Looking to occupy my time while I waited, I went on a Witch hunt. The older they get the more dangerous they are, and there's supposed to be one somewhere in Forever Fall that has had more than thirteen years to grow. I decided it was just the kind of challenge I needed. It was fitting, too, as this Witch has been around for about the same amount of time my mother has been missing for.

I entered the Witch's barrier, just like any other, and immediately noticed the pleasant smell of roses. I think I like this Witch already. Finding my way through the maze-like barrier toward the center where I knew the Witch would be hiding. It's not a terribly big one to begin with, so even after all this time I doubt it will be too hard to defeat.

In the center, I found the Witch. Of all the Witches I've seen, this one was the first I could describe as beautiful. It looked like a giant rose. The petals folded back, as if sensing my presence, revealing the Human-like shape inside. That was the weak spot on the Witch. I took a step toward it, unfolding my weapon.

Then I stopped. My foot had hit something solid, and when I looked down I saw a small stone alter. On the stone was etched the figure of a blooming rose, and some all too familiar words.

_"__Thus Kindly I Scatter"_

Then everything clicked. My name is Ruby Rose, and today I met my mother.


End file.
